Saving a Dragon's Heart
by Star Angel7169
Summary: Maybe he should have turned right at the fork in the road instead of left. What happens when Natsu wasn't found by Makarov and instead by someone else, someone who has a grudge against Fairy Tail. I'm sure he would never go against the guild, would he? Or is his true nature yet to be seen? Please give my fanfiction a chance! I hope you like it! Older chapters under revision
1. Prologue- Sneaking through Magnolia

Rated T for language and because I'm paranoid.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Nor do I own the cover image.

Happens before Tenrou. Everything went the same in Fairy Tail without Natsu.

**Prologue**

The darkness seemed to move and swirl together as a menacing figure emerged from the building's shadow, the tall clock in the middle of the town finished ringing midnight. His muscular stature covered by a midnight grey cloak, he shifted slowly but sinisterly away from the small building and towards his unknown destination. A dangerous aura emitted off of him, his appearance only adding to the eerie feeling flowing around him.

The figure abruptly picked up his pace, little more than a blur as he dashed through the night; shadow to shadow. A white, scaly cloth revealed itself under the cloak as the person ran on.

Jumping gracefully to the top of a house, his dark silhouette never lost its stride as he ran from rooftop to rooftop with his cloak dancing behind him. Metallic silver and blood red gleam in the moonlight each time the dawn-like cloth rustles at certain angles.

Suddenly, as if glued in place, the man stops and scans the area suspiciously with his seemingly dull, charcoal eyes. He breaks free from the house as he soars to the ground below, his hood slipping from his head. Landing in a crouch with little more than a soft thump, the male stands to reveal bright yet dull spiky, pink hair sticking out in all directions in a carefree way. A faint, fiery light discharges off of the smooth, spiky hair as the man rakes his finger nonchalantly through the pink mess. The figure's striking, tanned face would be expressionless if not for one thing. His eyes, shining in the faint light, allowed their true color to be seen. Unique, dark grey-green orbs with dragon-like pupils glared like daggers towards the large and brightly illuminated building before him.

The mysterious individual's right hand instinctively reached down to hold his glimmering silver katana with a ruby-eyed dragon circling the handle warningly. Reaching up to his hood, the figure pulled it over his hair, shadowing his eyes, as he unsheathed his weapon, ready to attack the target inside of the rowdy building. A building with a sparkling white emblem of a tailed fairy guarding the entrance.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Fairy Tail, the most powerful guild in Fiore, had many allies... and many enemies. All of its members (maybe even the idiots who had borderline intelligence) knew this to be true, but you can't always keep your guard up, can you.

It was a beautiful, almost perfect night as the moonlight reflected off of each stone on the pathway leading to the guild hall of Fairy Tail. The stars sparkled against the silhouette of night as the nocturnal animals in the forest created the harmonies and melodies of midnight's song, when the clock strikes twelve. The Fairy Tail guild hall's noisy ruckus rang out through the night, drowning out the clock's attempts of warning everyone of the midnight hour.

The guild hall was filled with the smells of alcohol, smoke, and sweets. Many sounds of laughing, coughing, roaring, shouting, and of course crashing, smashing, and breaking could be heard. The guild hall was now a complete mess. And it all started with a certain ice brained idiot... (*cough* Gray *cough*)

Gray had gotten into a stupid and heated argument with Elfman over which one of their magics was more 'manlier'. The argument had erupted into an angry battle that eventually involved almost the whole guild, even Erza after someone had unceremoniously knocked her poor, defenseless strawberry cake onto the wooden floor. Master Makarov just sat on his perch at the bar, watching chaos ensue in the building as chairs, drinks, food, magic, and even tables went flying in every direction. Mirajane stood next to him, behind the bar, as she polished a beer glass and observed the ongoing fight with a thoughtful look on her face. "It looks like they're at it again, Master," she says, not taking her big, sapphire eyes off the battlefield. "I suppose they are," Makarov sighed, before taking another sip of his beer, "I just hope they keep the damage at a minimum this time."

"I'm not sure that's crossing any of their minds right now," Lucy says, sweat dropping at the damaged dishes, silverware, and furniture scattered across the room. "Agh," Makarov wailed. He looked like he was ready to cry. "Don't worry Master, I'm sure they'll finish soon," Mira reassures as she sets her glass on the counter and looks down at Makarov. "I hope," he mopes.

That's when he froze, eyes wide as plates, alarm clear in them. "Master!?" Lucy and Mira exclaim in worry, catching the attention of a few of the guild members close by. "What's wrong old man?" Gray asked urgently. "Master, are you alright," Erza asked sternly her voice laced with worry. "Someone's coming," Makarov answers, narrowing his eyes.

As if on cue, the door was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang, pausing all movement in the guild as they stared at the cloaked figure in shock. In his right hand a skinny, silver sword tinted with blood red pointed straight out, its beautiful dragon design snaked around the black hilt, red ruby eyes glaring into your soul. The katana's name was printed on the bottom of the hilt; Aka Yami, meaning Red Darkness.

"Hey," a yell rang through the guild hall and all eyes turned to who the voice belonged to, Gray. "What do you think you're doing barging into our guild hall like that!" he continued.

To everyone's utter shock, the intruder's face remained dull and expressionless. His charcoal eyes never wavered as he spoke in a demanding, almost robotic, voice, "I have come here for your guild master, Makarov Dreyar. If he turns himself over peacefully I will leave the rest of you unharmed, if not... I cannot promise you your safety."

"Like hell we'll let you take Master," a random person yelled.

"Yeah!"

"Leave our guild!"

"Who do you think you are?!"

The guild hall was soon in an uproar as many angry shouts and retaliations merged confusingly together as everyone objected against the invader's 'crazy' idea until...

"Enough!" Everyone immediately ceased their rants and turned to their master, stunned. "I shall accept your terms," Makarov began, "But only if you can defeat me, Damian."

The cloaked figure's face contorted into an amused expression as he released an evil chuckle to himself. "You always were a quick one Makarov," he said tilting his head and giving an almost caring smile, "But you don't have the guts to hurt me. Never have, never will."

"We'll see about that Damian," Makarov said as he raised his hand and extended it outwards as it grew immensely in size and shoved Damian out of the guild hall and at least 20 feet from the guild door.

Damian landed swiftly on his feet as he readied his katana in his right hand, ready to attack. Makarov stepped out of the guild hall and started to grow in size until he was even taller than the building itself. He stood as his eyes gleamed red and his shadowed face showed an angry scowl. Suddenly, Makarov charged forward and slung a giant fist at his much smaller opponent. Damian effortlessly dodged as he leapt onto Makarov's arm and started running towards his face, slashing a small gash in his cheek when he got close enough and landing silently on the ground. Makarov turned around quickly and they both continued to battle at a remarkable speed, brightly glowing flames flashing by every few seconds. Finally after a few minutes of nonstop, high-speed battle they both skid apart, fighting stances ready.

"You can't expect to defeat me with that little toothpick of a sword that you've acquired Damian," Makarov says, "Give up! You can't beat one of the 10 wizard saints as a measly child."

This seemed to upset Damian as he practically shrieked, "Child? Child?! I am not a child you bedraggled, old fool! Can a child do this?!" Damian furiously yanked Aka Yami to his right, cutting his left wrist in the process, and held it out with both hands. He angrily squeezed his eyes shut as a great magic power rose within him and erupted into the sword, setting the katana ablaze with smoldering, red flames. When Damian reopened his eyes they seemed duller and tired looking but also held a new, blazing redness of fire.

Everyone in the guild hall had gathered at the doorway, to watch the fight, silent as they watched the scene unfold. Gajeel and Wendy looked at each other, exchanging glances.

Makarov seemed slightly surprised to say the least as he felt the mass amount of magic energy emitting from the sword. He glared at Damian. "Idiot," he shouted, "Can't you see how strenuous that is for a child's body!?"

Damian only smirked albeit tiredly at Fairy Tail's guild master before charging straight towards him, the flames almost blinding as he yelled, "Flame Sword Art: Dragon's Heart!"

Aka Yami swung towards Makarov as the guild master put his hands up into a defensive cross as if he were going to block it. "Aaaagggghhhh," Damian shouted in determination as a huge fire exploded into the air, showing the form of a dragon roaring until it started to slowly kneel down as the flames were finally gone and the outcome was clear as the smoke dissipated**... hahaha cliffhanger! Yeah, so I already have the next chapter ready, but I'd like to wait and see if anyone views my story. Please review and let me know your opinion on it and please no flames, just helpful criticism. Thank you for reading this fanfic so far, and I'll do my best to update soon! Sayonara~! -Star**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

...the outcome was clear as the smoke dissipated. Makarov had won.

Sprawled across the ground, in front of Makarov, was Damian. He wasn't moving, but you could see the steady rising and falling of his chest in his unconscious state. Makarov stood above him, glaring, until he slowly bent down and picked up the smaller wizard with a great amount of gentleness. He carried the fire mage over to the guild and set him down, in front of the guild members, before shrinking down to his normal size.

"Master," Gildarts says, stepping forward, "Was that really Damian?"

"I'm afraid so, Gildarts," Makarov answers as he rubs the bridge of his nose in an attempt to save himself from his oncoming headache, "But not for much longer."

Gildarts gives a small smile at this. "You going to free him?" He asks, almost rhetorically.

"Yes," Makarov says. He then turns towards Gray. "Gray."

Gray immediately turns his attention to Fairy Tail's guild master. "Yes?" he asks as he breaks away from the shock of Makarov's battle.

"I need you to create ice around his body," Makarov says, pointing to the fire wizard on the ground.

"Oka- Wait! What?" Gray shouts, "Are you sure? With his body being unconscious, he could easily subdue to the cold!"

"I'm not sure Gray should do that, Master," Lucy adds, "Even if he did attack our guild, he doesn't deserve to die."

A great commotion followed as everyone voiced their opinions, until a shout stopped them all.

"Just let him do it, dammit!" Gajeel shouts.

"Gajeel-san is right," Wendy pitches in, "He won't die!"

Everyone stared in shock at the two dragon slayers' outbursts.

"They're right," Makarov states, nodding his head, "Just do it. You'll see."

Gray cautiously steps forward, readying himself to use his magic. He looks down at the unconscious form in front of him and closes his eyes as he slams his fist onto his palm in the position to create his magic.

A moment later the fire mage was surrounded by ice and for a second everyone stared, not sure what would happen. Then, to everyone's amazement, the fire mage's body lit up with lines of red symbols that curled all around his body. Afterwards, the symbols seemed to float off of his body and twirl around in the air a bit before disappearing.

Almost immediately after the symbols disappeared, the fire mage sat bolt upright with a look of confusion, fear, and surprise on his face. Everyone looked down at him as he looked back at them like a deer in headlights.

Finally Makarov spoke. "Hello young man," he said, "I apologize for your unfortunate situation. Can you stand?"

The fire mage seemed to either not understand or ignore his question as he only stared at him dumbly.

"Hey, didn't you hear him?" Gray shouts impatiently, "You should answer someone when they ask you a question!"

"Gray stop!" Gildarts says sternly, "You would be in shock too if you were under Damian's influence."

"He's correct Gray," Makarov says, "You see this isn't actually Damian. This young lad was merely a pawn, under Damian's mind control magic."

"Eh?!" everyone shouts.

"It's true," a small voice says. All of the guild members turn to look at the young fire mage. "Thank you for saving me," he says, gratefulness in his voice as he looks away, "I'm such an idiot for getting caught by his magic!"

"It's alright child," Makarov says, placing a small hand on the boy's shoulder, "Damian is a very strong wizard and it takes a lot to resist his magic. Now, let's go back into the guild and get you cleaned up Mr..."

"Natsu, Natsu Dragneel," the young fire mage says, slight confidence in his voice.

"Well, Natsu, come with me," Makarov says as he begins walking towards the guild, but stops when he doesn't hear Natsu following him.

Natsu grins sheepishly as he says, "Sorry. I don't think I can stand. My ankle is broken."

"Aww, I see," Makarov says, "Erza, Lucy help him to the infirmary. Wendy follow them to heal his wounds."

"Master are you sure this is a good idea?" Gray asks, eyeing Natsu suspiciously as Lucy and Erza help him up, "A minute ago he was our enemy and now we're healing him? It makes no sense!"

"Gray," Makarov says calmly, "I told you, he was under Damian's magic. He is not our enemy. That doesn't mean he gets our immediate trust, but we can at least give him the benefit of the doubt."

At that Makarov turned around and entered the guild, many others following his example and returning to what they were doing before, though much quieter. Only Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, and Happy (seems like a lot of people but it really isn't compared to the amount in the guild) were left outside. They all remained silent as an almost suffocating tension hung in the air. The silence was broken by a small, shy voice. "We should head inside," Wendy gave a soft smile, "It's pretty cold out here tonight."

"Sure," Gray says, even though he couldn't feel the slightly uncomfortable temperature. He stuck his hands in his pockets and stalked into the guild, quickly followed by Wendy, a carried Carla (by Wendy), Erza, Lucy, Happy, and a dragged Natsu.

They climbed the stairs to the infirmary room as Gray shoved the door open and walked over to the far wall and leaned against it, crossing his arms and letting an angry glare sketch across his face. Wendy hurried to the far bed, setting Carla down, and undid the covers to allow Natsu to lay down on the mattress. Lucy and Erza set him down carefully, Lucy giving Natsu a sincere smile as their eyes crossed paths.

"Natsu-san. Would you mind putting the leg with a broken ankle on top of the sheets so I can examine it?" Wendy asked. Natsu gave a curt nod and shifted around in the bed until he had done as told.

"Now this might hurt a bit," Wendy started cautiously, "But I have to feel where it's broken so I can heal it properly, alright?" She once again only received a curt nod to indicate that her patient was ready. Wendy placed her small, delicate fingers across Natsu's ankle, applying pressure to certain areas to test where it was broken. Everyone watched intently as she did so. Every couple of seconds Natsu would wince almost unnoticeably as Wendy continued testing his ankle. Finally, the bluenette stepped back slightly and said, "I believe I figured out where it's broken, so I should be able to heal your ankle now."

Wendy then outstretched her arms and held her hands over Natsu's broken ankle as a light, aquamarine glow was projected from her hands. Natsu could feel his ankle slowly healing from the injuries he received in battle, until it felt as good as new. Wendy swiftly moved her concentration to his more minor injuries, including the accidental cut he gave himself on his left arm, and soon the cuts and bruises shifted back to normal.

The young dragon slayer looked down at her work as she wiped a small trail of sweat from her brow. She sat down, slightly fatigued, in a nearby chair that had been placed by the bedside.

"You shouldn't overexert yourself Wendy!" Carla scolded as she walked over to the blue haired dragon slayer."I'll be fine Carla, don't worry," Wendy replied, giving a small smile. She then turned to the others. "We should give him some time to rest," the young dragon slayer turned around and the others were about to leave with her when she felt a soft but strong grasp on her forearm. She turned back around to find Natsu trembling slightly, his eyes shadowed from behind his salmon bangs.

"Please don't leave yet," Natsu whispered shakily, "I don't want to be alone again. The last time I was alone... he came! I don't want to be left alone again! Please don't go!"

They all stared at him as if he'd gone crazy, until they heard a quiet plop sound on the sheets. Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, and Happy all turned to look at the white blanket covering the pink haired mage. There, on the sheets, were multiple droplets of water. They looked up to see tears streaming down Natsu's face as he tried not to cry but couldn't stop his sobbing. He released Wendy's arm and reached up to cover his face at a failed attempt of hiding his out of control emotions.

"Showing emotions only hurts," he mumbled to himself, "Opening to others only hurts you when they betray your trust. Lord Damian said so. It only hurts, only hurts, only h-"

Natsu felt a strong albeit gentle hand on his shoulder. He flinched slightly before stopping his shaking, crying, and whispered ranting all together as he looked up to the stoic face of Gray. Gray's eyes were filled with concern, understanding, and slight fear.

"What did Damian do to you?" he asked nervously though rather bluntly. Natsu stared at him for a moment before answering in a whisper, "It's his magic. Its purpose is for making others suffer under his control. He caught me around the time that I went my own way. I was such an idiot! He used his horrid magic in that terrible guild with its gruesome members to torturingly slowly hypnotize me into believing those things. You freed me from the immediate hypnosis, but it will take much longer for my mind to adapt back to normal. If it ever will. *Natsu gave a small, sincere smile* Maybe your guild is just the right place for me right now. I know I don't deserve the trust of any of the amazing people in this guild... *He looked straight up at them, eyes filled with pure determination* but I will earn it! I promise you that!" Natsu's voice had gradually risen with his natural confidence and persistence until he had almost yelled the last two sentences.

Everyone looked at him intently as they all broke out in smiles. "So this is your true personality," Erza said, getting a shocked look from Natsu, "I figured that the shy, self-conscious personality you had earlier wasn't really your true one."

"You seem better this way," Lucy exclaimed cheerfully, "With all the power you've got, you probably would have a more confident attitude."

Natsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, blushing slightly. "Heheh. Thanks... and by the way," he looked up at them pure curiosity taking over his features, "I didn't quite catch your names."

"Oh, how rude of me!" Lucy gasped out before breaking into a full blown smile and giving a small wave, "I'm Lucy Heartfilia! Nice to meet you Natsu!"

Erza nodded her head. "I am Erza Scarlet. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Wendy Marvell and this is Carla!" Wendy smiled, holding up Carla. Carla merely nodded.

They all turned to Gray expectantly. "Gray Fullbuster," he muttered under his breath.

"Aye and I'm Happy!" Happy exclaimed from his 'hidden' position on Natsu's lap. Natsu jumped slightly at the sudden high pitched voice coming from the blue cat he hadn't noticed on the bed.

"Woah! A talking cat, that's awesome!" Natsu practically yelled before turning to the others, "It's nice to meet you, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Carla, Gray! *turns to Happy* And you too Happy!"

"Aye sir!" Happy says just as enthusiastically as he gave a small salute. Natsu gave him a smile.

"Um, Natsu-san," Wendy suddenly piped in. "I think you should get some sleep. We can talk more tomorrow, but you really need to rest."

"Yeah you're probably right," Natsu agreed. He seemed to let his tiredness take over as he suddenly closed his eyes and started to lean forward. Gray was quick to catch his sleeping form before the fire mage face planted into the bed sheets. He pushed him back into the pillow before pulling the covers over his still form. Happy walked up the sheets towards Natsu's face, pawing at his cheek in interest before curling up next to him and falling asleep as well.

"He looks pretty peaceful," Lucy commented, looking at Natsu's calm, sleeping face. 'And sort of cute.'

"Mmhm," Wendy hummed, "I think that once he gets used to everyone he'll let his true personality show a lot more. We just have to wait and be patient."

"You know," Erza began, gaining everyone's attention, "When he first barged in here, I thought he was completely crazy. Challenging our guild like that. But I have to wonder... if he was only one mage from this guild, how strong is it as a whole."

"Who knows," Gray shrugged, "But if they had to hypnotize him into being a member, they must have been pretty desperate to get their hands on him. I bet Fairy Tail could kick all of their asses!"

Lucy giggled. "I'm sure he'll tell us in the morning. I just hope that whatever's to come, we'll be ready."

With that, they all got back in their respective positions in the infirmary room, not wanting to leave Natsu and risk him having another panic attack. The party downstairs continued on, everyone wearing bright smiles from the small outburst they heard from the infirmary. Natsu seemed to be a very determined person, they could all hand him that. And maybe, just maybe, he could earn everyone's trust and become a part of the guild.

**So I've posted another chapter! I'm really excited about this fanfiction and I hope people enjoy it! I'm working on the next chapter now and I'll post it soon. I would truly be grateful for reviews and your opinions so please... well review. Haha. I would also appreciate follows and favorites but I won't be that pushy. And I'm sorry if Natsu is OOC but it's intentional and if you have any advice for other characters' personalities please let me know. Sorry this A/N is so long. See you at the next chapter! Sayonara~! -Star**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was 8 o'clock in the morning with the dark night sky turning to a misty blue as dawn became day. Fragments of pink and orange were erased from the clouds and the sun peaked from behind the mountains. Everything was silent; the forest, the town, even the Fairy Tail guild hall, except for one room.

Master Makarov and Gildarts were in the former's office discussing the latest events of their guild. Very few people knew about Damian, so they would need to tell them eventually. That's what Makarov and Gildarts were discussing now.

"That boy, Natsu Dragneel, right? He seemed pretty strong," Gildarts starts.

"Is that how you start a conversation concerning the future of Fairy Tail, Gildarts?" Makarov questioned.

"How else do you state the fact that we need to make sure that this kid isn't on Damian's side anymore?"

"Well we can't trust him quite yet but..."

"But?"

"I don't know. I just feel... like he belongs here."

Gildarts nods slightly before smiling. "I have to agree with you there. Bet he would've fit right in."

"I'm sure. But right now we have to discuss Damian. We will speak to the boy about what he knows when he wakes up. We'll tell them what we know afterwards. Bring him downstairs with you after he wakes up and you're done checking on him, alright?"

Gildarts gives his signature grin. "What makes you think I was going to check on him?"

Makarov casts him a knowing smile. "And why should I tell you that?"

"Well, I should've known there's no use asking _you_ that," Gildarts sighs before heading towards the door, "I'll see you later."

The door creaks open quietly before Gildarts shuffles out and carelessly pushes the door back. A clicking sound confirms that the door is closed before lazy footsteps are heard fading towards the infirmary.

Makarov listens to the footsteps until they're out of hearing range and sighs. "What are you hiding, Damian? Why that boy?"

* * *

All was quiet in the Fairy Tail infirmary except for even breathing and soft snoring. Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, and Happy were still sleeping soundly in the slumped positions they had taken the night before. They were all exhausted after the scenario with the now sleeping pink haired fire mage. The time was 12 o'clock, noon, and the guild hall was already bustling with life.

A soft creaking sound came from the infirmary door as it opened just enough for the scruffy, middle aged man known as Gildarts to slip through and attempt a stealthy entrance. Let's just say, he failed to a maximum level.

Gildarts tried his best to tiptoe to Natsu's bedside but ended up tripping over the legs of a slumped Gray. He unceremoniously tripped forward, landing face first on the hard wooden floor and successfully shocking a small wave of his magic through the surrounding area. The beds, chairs, floor, and even part of the wall broke into tiny cubical pieces as his magic went haywire for a minimum of a second, and waking everyone in the room, before he reeled the crash magic in and stopped the destruction.

"What the hell, Gildarts!" Gray shouted, clearly irritated and still half asleep.

Gildarts lifted himself off of the floor only to be met with a sword to his nose. He looked up to see the brown eyes of Erza Scarlet gleaming dangerously and a murderous aura emitting off of said woman. "Is there a reason behind our rude awakening, Gildarts?" she questioned angrily.

"Heheh, well... you probably should be up by now, it is noon," Gildarts answered in an attempt of saving his hide from a fairly unwanted beating. Luckily for him, it worked. Erza slowly lowered her sword, though the dangerous gleam never left her eyes.

"I guess we should be getting up then," she responded as she sent one last glance at Gildarts before turning around and letting her sword return to where it came from.

Lucy and Wendy yawned. "Well, either way, we're awake and should probably head down to the guild hall with Natsu-san," Wendy suggested tiredly as she rubbed her eyes.

"I have to agree," Carla said in a dignified manner.

"What the hell..." a soft murmur reached their ears and they all turned to the source, Natsu. "Not used to waking up via magic. Pretty fun!" he said a small grin on his face, "But I could have dealt with not having the bed destroyed."

It was true, Natsu's infirmary bed was one of the unfortunate pieces of furniture that took a hit from Gildarts' magic and Natsu, along with Happy, were now sitting on the hard, wooden floor of the Fairy Tail infirmary.

Gildarts picked himself off of the ground and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was a bit surprised when I... uh... tripped," he finished lamely. Natsu blinked owlishly at him before giving a big (not as big as his normal smile) grin and standing up, holding a tired Happy in his arms.

"It's alright! It was actually pretty interesting!" Natsu exclaimed enthusiastically before walking over and standing in front of Gildarts. "You must be Gildarts, Fairy Tail's crash magic S-Class mage! Nice to meetcha old man!"

Gildarts returned Natsu's grin with his own saying, "Nice to meet ya too, brat! *slightly aggravated* And I'm not _that_ old!"

Everyone else just stared at the scene in slight amusement before Lucy decided to interject into the... unique interaction. "We should probably go downstairs now, right?" she proposed from her place near the wall.

Everyone else in the room nodded, though Natsu did hesitantly, and proceeded to walk towards the infirmary door, which was luckily unharmed.

* * *

It seemed as though the whole guild hall went silent as they walked down the stairs, which was probably true. Natsu could feel wary eyes following his every move and directed his attention to the steps. They reached the bottom of the stairs within a few seconds, with Gildarts leading the group to the bar as a clear path was cut through the crowd. Makarov sat on the bar top, the same perch he held the night before, sending a stern look forward before diverting his eyes in their direction.

"Are you ready Natsu?" Makarov spoke seriously yet kindly to the young fire mage. All ears waited for the salmon haired boy's response. Yelling? Attacking? Escape? Maybe not...

"Of course, Master Makarov," Natsu answered swiftly, looking the 3rd master square in the eyes.

Makarov gave a small smile. "Alright then, please sit." A sole, wooden chair sat in front of Makarov, facing him.

Natsu walked forward, about to sit, when he paused. "Runes," he whispered as he backed away slightly. "What will they do?"

Makarov looked curiously at the young mage's sudden unease, possibly even fear, of the runes they had put around the chair. "They are merely a precaution, Natsu. As you know, not everyone trusts you here. If you tell us your story and information we will better understand you and your situation," he stated.

Natsu took another step backwards, glaring and saying in a slightly threatening tone, "You didn't tell me what they do. I don't enjoy losing sight of my flames. If these runes remove my ability to use my magic, I refuse to step into them."

Then Natsu's features softened slightly as he felt a slight tug on his cloak (he hadn't taken it off since he came to Magnolia) and the magical presence of Happy before turning to look at the small cat.

"Natsu?" Happy asked worriedly. "What's wrong with the runes?"

Natsu gave a sad smile to the blue neko, who was now sitting on his shoulder, and whispered, "I don't want to lose my magic, it's very important to me and... one of the only things keeping me connected to my father."

Everything went silent. No one moved, nor spoke, maybe not even breathed for a full minute. They all looked troubled by this new piece of information, some feeling guilty enough to look away or stare at the boy in slight pity.

"I see," Master Makarov spoke, breaking the silence, "Well if it will reassure you, I will have the runes rewritten." Freed immediately stepped forward and raised his sword before the runes. He began mumbling incoherent words before swishing his sword in a downwards arc and successfully changing the runes' abilities. "I have successfully switched the runes' abilities to something more suited to the situation," Freed stated as he turned to Natsu. "They will merely trap you inside, not take away your magic, though your magic cannot leave the area."

Freed quickly turned around, walking back to the Thunder Legion, yet as he passed by, Natsu gave him a grateful smile. A flash of surprise entered Freed's features before he quickly covered it and moved past him in an even quicker manner. Natsu gave a soft smile to himself as he thought of the small glint of happiness in Freed's eye (the one he could see anyway) as if he was answering with a "you're welcome".

Natsu decided the runes were now better to his liking and stepped inside, unknowingly bringing Happy along with him. "Aye sir, interrogation start!" Happy yelled, making everyone realize that he too had entered the runes. "I'll stay here with Natsu and keep him company sir!" Everyone mentally face palmed at the blue neko's idiocy but decided to let it go; the interrogation must begin!

"Natsu," Makarov began, "Please tell us what you remember of your time in Damian's guild."

Natsu gave a soft sigh before turning his gaze to the floor. "To tell you the story I must tell you how it came to be that I ended up a member of his guild," Natsu said. "It was before year 777. I was found in the forest by my father, Igneel. He told me he found me wandering the woods aimlessly and I know he thought about killing me... but he didn't." Natsu gives a soft smile. "He took me in as his son. Igneel taught me to speak, read and even use fire magic... my father, Igneel, was a fire dragon."

Everyone stared at him in shock and quickly turned to Wendy and Gajeel. They both looked slightly surprised but also like they were expecting it. "Geheheh, I knew it," Gajeel chortled, a smirk crossing his face. Wendy gave her brightest smile. "I'm so happy there's another dragon slayer!" she cheered.

"Yeah," Natsu smiled, "I'm proud to be a dragon slayer. Unfortunately..." Natsu's face grew solemn. "Igneel left as all the other dragon's did... on July 7, 777. The 7th day of the 7th month of the 777th year." There was a long, dramatic pause before Natsu continued."After that, I went on my own. I traveled through the forest until I came to a path. It was a fork path so I had to make a choice. To my left was a town called Hellebore and to my right was Magnolia. I made a mistake... and went down the left instead of the right. I wish I could have joined Fairy Tail..."

Lucy looked away as Natsu finished the first part of his story. She felt so guilty now, like she could have done something, even if that wasn't true. Gray looked at Natsu sadly, he too wished he could have done something, the same going for most everyone in the guild. He wished that Natsu could have joined their family.

Natsu felt a single tear slip down his cheek before wiping it away and deciding that he needed to continue.

"I'll give you your information on Damian and his guild now," Natsu stated as he saw everyone's faces darken, particularly Gildarts and Master Makarov's. "When I first met Damian, he was dressed in all black."

_Flashback_

_God's (Me… haha. Jk, just third person pov) POV_

_A small, pink haired child, dressed in a baggy, red shirt and golden yellow trousers walked gloomily through a large forest. He had come to the conclusion that his father wasn't coming back, but he would search for him, no matter what. _

_The pink haired boy continued walking for what, to him, felt like millions of years. In reality, it was merely a few hours. The boy finally came to the first civilized object he had seen in a while: a sign. The dirt path he had been traveling on led him to a fork in the road with a sign pointing two ways. It was like it was deciding his fate. The sign showed two options; the left path was a town called Hellebore and the right path a town called Magnolia._

_If the boy smelled hard enough with his enhanced senses, he could smell the scent of more people leading down the right path. He decided quickly that it didn't matter which path he took so he let his childish manner return for a moment and did the first thing that came to mind: Eenie-Meenie-Minie-Moe._

_The salmon haired child hummed the tune of the nursery rhyme as he switched the victim of his pointing from path to path. It eventually landed on the left. He leaned his body lazily in that direction before heading down the road to the town known as Hellebore._

_It took a long half hour to reach the town. It was small and eerie, with few shops or people, but still emitted a slightly comforting aura. The boy sat down on a hill above the town for a short rest and breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally reached the town, an end to his old life but also the start of a new one in his journey to find Igneel. He was in charge of himself from now on and would live so he could find Igneel! Boy was he wrong…_

"_Hello, boy," a deep voice said from behind him. _

_The boy looked up to be met face to face with a tall man. He looked to be in his 40's or 50's, still quite young looking but tinges of gray hair sprouting from the sides of his spiky, dark purple-blue hair giving away his age. He was muscular but lean with a stiff jaw and a smug look covering his slightly wrinkled face. He wore a dark, black cloak and a strange symbol that appeared to be a black knife with a chip in the side tattooed the left side of his neck. He towered over the small boy with a grand sense of defiance and leadership. _

"_Tell me your name boy," the man commanded. The boy couldn't help but apply._

"_Natsu Dragneel!" the boy, Natsu, stated in a proud voice as he tried to sound just as commanding, "And who are you?!"_

_The man laughed heartily, an evil insanity tinting the edges of his cackles, before he regained his composure and stood back up to his full height. "My name, boy…" the dark cloaked man spoke menacingly, "... is Damian Mente."_

**DUN DUN DUNNNN! So I hope you like this new chapter and the little cliffhanger I left you all on! Yeah, I'm evil. I just want to say, I won't have a specific date that I'm updating on but the latest will most likely take a week. Still in school and all but besides that I'm pretty much free. So… I beg of you, Pleeeeeeeeeease Review, or maybe even favorite/follow! Haha, yeah, I'd really appreciate it. And also, a shout out to my awesome friend and editor! She's helped a lot on this story! Thank you for reading and I'll see/type (?) you next time! Sayonara~! -Star**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_My name, boy… is Damian Mente."_

"_Damian Mente?" Natsu questioned further. He had never heard of this man before, but he must be important if he looks so strong and prideful, right?_

"_Yes, Damian Mente," the man, Damian, said in a slightly annoyed tone. "Surely you've heard of me."_

"_Nope." Natsu deadpanned. Damian sighed. "Well, boy, I've never heard of you either," Damian said. Maybe he could get on this brat's nerves as well. It seemed to work pretty well with little children._

_Natsu's face scrunched up in anger. He shot out his hand and pointed his index finger towards Damian's face as he shouted, "Well, it doesn't matter to me what you think! I was raised by the great and powerful fire dragon, Igneel! I know fire dragon slaying magic and could easily kick your butt into next week!"_

_On the outside Damian appeared unfazed but on the inside, his mind was working a mile a minute. _'A dragon slayer huh? That's a lost magic. I knew I felt a strong aura from this brat. He could be useful.'

"_Boy," Damian began threateningly. "I am the master of the notorious dark guild, Mystic Knife. We have a goal: to defeat and crush the official guild, Fairy Tail. All of its members will be killed and our guild will reign supreme! I want you to join my guild!"_

_Natsu was both shocked and scared of this man. _'He absolutely crazy!' _Natsu wasn't quite sure exactly what a guild was either, but he knew exactly what killing meant and that you shouldn't do it to other living beings, especially fellow humans (No kidding, right?). _

"_Like I'd ever join someone who thinks killing people is okay!" Natsu shouted angrily. He didn't trust this man at all._

_However, Damian only looked amused as if he had expected that answer. "Very well then, boy." Damian smirked. "If you will not join me of your own free will, I will take you by force."_

_Natsu couldn't react in time as Damian raised his palm above his face. An abnormal, black glow surrounded Damian's hand, and before Natsu knew it, he felt his eyelids droop and the ground leave his feet as he fell forward into the cloaked man's arms. _

"_You're mine now, boy." Damian whispered into Natsu's ear. That was the last thing he heard before he completely fell into the dark depths of unconsciousness._

* * *

_Natsu's Point of View_

_It's dark here. I can't even tell if my eyes are open because it's so dark. I can feel someone's presence though. It's all hazy and I can't remember anything. All of my memories are gone. My mind is blank and it's even hard to think. What's going on?_

"_I see you're awake… boy." A voice rang through the darkness. The voice was one of a male and it sounded familiar somehow. I want to speak, but for some reason my mouth won't make any sound. _'What's going on? Who are you?' _I thought urgently._

"_How rude of you not to remember me when we just met earlier today," the same voice said. _'How'd he do that?!'

"_I can read your mind you know," the voice spoke exasperatedly. "You can't hide anything from me, boy."_

_OK, I was starting to get used to this. _'Then who are you?' _I thought frustratedly. This guy is starting to get on my nerves._

"_How about you see for yourself," the male's voice replied back._

_There was a moment of silence before a blinding light took away the vision I hadn't possessed earlier. The light soon cleared and I could see again! I kind of wish I couldn't._

_Before me stood the man I met earlier! Memories flooded into my head at an astonishing rate. I couldn't breathe, couldn't feel, couldn't move. My whole life flashed before my eyes in less than a minute._

_The memories stopped and I took in a greedy gasp of air as tears streamed down my face from the pain and emotional stress. I remembered! This man, Damian, used some sort of spell on me! I began to yell at him but stopped. My voice still wouldn't work. I settled for glaring at him with the power of my intense stare. _'Die!' _I yelled mentally._

"_Highly unlikely, boy." Damian replied as he stepped further into my line of sight. "At least not by your hands. Plus, haven't you noticed? I'm not the one trapped in a dungeon."_

_I took that chance to actually glance at my surroundings. I was indeed in some sort of cell. I could feel the heavy chains clasped around my wrists and ankles, smell the dank and rotten scent inhabiting the air, hear the constant plop of water from the ceiling, and see Damian standing in front of me in my cinder block walled prison. It felt like I was a lowly scumbag being held prisoner, and the king who had trapped me here had come to taunt me of my crimes. I couldn't be too far off._

_Damian sure looked the part of an evil king or nobleman anyways. His black cloak was gone and I could now see the rest of his body and clothing. He wore a fancy, dark gray dress shirt with a closed black vest over it that had a v-shaped collar that went down to his lower chest. A dark violet scarf was neatly tied under the collar of his dress shirt (Like a tie. Sorry, I don't know how else to put it. Maybe a bit like a sailor scarf) and into a sort of poofy fashion. He adorned dark, black dress pants and thick, black boots that almost went up to his knees. Two golden rings adorned the middle and fore fingers on his right hand._

_Damian smirked down at me with his dark purple eyes flashing dangerously._

"_You see, boy?" he spoke. "You have no where to go. You are _mine_!"_

_I felt my mind start to lose control of my body again. He's using another spell! I have to stay awake, I have to! My eyelids start to droop further. _'Why me?' _I thought desperately._

"_Because, boy." Damian spoke. "You have amazing power and potential. I shall use it for myself and then I will destroy Makarov and every last member of his wretched guild!"_

_He began to laugh hysterically, not even caring that I was still there. He's mad!_

_I continued to lose unconsciousness at a very gradual pace. I couldn't feel my feet anymore, as if they were no longer my own. _'What are you doing?!' _I can't take it anymore, I have to know what's happening and why he's doing this!_

_"Isn't it obvious?" Damian replied. "It's a spell, boy. It shall take away what little power and resistance you have left and after that... well, you shall see."_

'Stop... Please...' _I pleaded. But to no avail._

* * *

_I see an image. A large, dark red being. Long, scaly tail. And... wings? A great warmth emanating from him that spreads throughout my insides. It's Igneel! And is that... me? Yes, it is me! A younger me. But how? It's the first time I met Igneel. Is this... a memory? 'What's going on?'_

_Third Person Point of View_

_"Hello, human." Igneel spoke. His voice was so strong and seemed to shake the forest itself. "What are you doing out here alone? Dangerous beasts like me may come and eat you for a snack if you stay." _

_A toothy smirk spread across Igneel's face. If you knew him well, you could tell he was joking. The smirk itself was supposed to be a... comforting gesture. Though normally said gesture would send any grown man running away screaming for their lives in high pitched voices. It was kind of what Igneel expected from the small infant in front of him as well. But... this small, pink haired child wasn't like other people (in a good way). _

_The tiny boy was clearly frightened, his shivering body giving him away, but he did not run. Instead, he raised a chubby, shaking finger, pointing at the fire dragon before him, and yelled with all his might, "You won't eat me, you big lizard! I won't let you!" _

_Igneel's eye twitched slightly at the offending reference. "Who are you calling a lizard, you little brat!" he shouted back angrily. "I am a dragon! The great and powerful fire dragon, Igneel!"_

_The small child was also irritated by his nickname and proved it by yelling, "I am not a brat! The name's Natsu! Got it? Na-tsu!" A spark of magical power erupted from the boy and the slightly impressive addition of energy didn't go unnoticed by a certain fire dragon._

'This human's magic power is quite impressive for one so young. He has great potential. Hmm..._' Igneel thought to himself. "So, human brat, where are your parents? Do you have a family?" Igneel inquired. This child, Natsu he believed, was beginning to pique his interest._

_"...No," Natsu answered sullenly. "I... don't know where they are. I can't remember..." _

_"So you're alone." It wasn't a question, it was a statement._

_"Yeah... I guess so," Natsu replied. He wouldn't meet the dragon's eyes. An uncomfortable feeling forming in his gut, Natsu did his best to cover his nervousness with a mask of anger. "Why do you care anyways?! I don't need anyone! So just beat it, you big lizard!"_

_Igneel stared at the boy intensely. He was obviously hiding his uncertainty, or at least as much as a 5 year old could, but that only encouraged the dragon to do something about this boy._

'Poor brat...' _Then Igneel made a decision he knew he would regret later. "Hey brat." Igneel began softly. "Do you wanna stay with me? Be my son?"_

_Natsu stared incredulously at the large 'lizard', his eyes going wide. "Y-You serious? Lizard?" Natsu asked in a shaky stutter._

_Igneel looked away, a blush appearing on his cheeks from embarrassment (If that was even possible. But hey! "We're Fairy Tail!" quote, like, everyone from Fairy Tail). "Yeah, I guess so... Natsu..." Igneel gave a soft smile._

_Natsu's eyes glistened with tears as a huge, toothy smile spread across his joyful face. "Th-Thank you, Igneel," he whispered. _

_"You're welcome... brat."_

_Natsu's Point of View_

_The image began to blur away as a smaller version of me climbed onto the back of Igneel and the two figures began to ascend. The image disappeared and I was left in a swirling darkness to think to myself._

'Igneel. Why did you leave me?' _I thought. A single tear slipped from my eye. _'I miss you so much. I don't know what to do without you. So I must search for you... but how? Where did you go... dad?'

_My frustrated feelings that had begun to build up were now overflowing from my exhausted body. Tears streamed freely from my eyes as memories of Igneel began flashing before my eyes. More pieces of my past._

_"Natsu, this is my home. Our home."_

_"Come on brat, I'm going to teach you to hunt."_

_"This is the word meat. It has the letters m-e-a-t. Now it's your turn."_

_"The boulder isn't that hard, Natsu. Just ram into it like this with your head. Yes, like tha- oh."_

_"Get off my nose you brat!"_

_"Don't complain about your training! Now, once more!"_

_"Great job Natsu! You've finally perfected your Fire Dragon's Roar. I'm very proud of you..."_

_"Natsu, I have a present for you. It's this scarf. If you keep it with you, I will always be by your side. No matter what."_

_"Good night... brat."_

_The images were really there! Right in front of my eyes. My heart can't take this anymore. The hope is flooding out of me like the water of a burst dam. _

_I'm losing feeling in my legs. I start to panic._

_All senses have left my arms. It doesn't startle me as much._

_I've lost control of my body. A nice, free feeling._

_My senses: taste, smell, touch, hearing. Gone._

_My eyes feel so heavy. Darkness takes my vision._

_My mind feels hazy. I welcome the feeling._

_Nothing is my own anymore. I belong to Lord Damian. _'I just wish that I could have found-'

* * *

_I'm floating. It's a weird feeling. Actually, it's not really a feeling; it's just... _there_. This black matter surrounds me and holds me in place, but I don't have the will to resist it. It's dark. But I don't care anymore... this void is where I belong._

_Flashback End_

**Yes! Finally finished! I swear to God I am so sorry for lying and not updating sooner. Though technically I didn't promise so... Just please don't hate me! *wondering whether I'm overestimating how much people want to read this story* Well, anyways, here's Chapter 4. I've decided that I will probably not have any specific times when I'm updating. And unfortunately I have no good excuses for why I haven't updated for so long, I'm just lazy and need to have my little inspiration moments to write. I have this field trip thing from Monday-Friday morning so I will try to write on the 7 hour bus ride (and hopefully not get car sick). K, well, I'll stop wasting your time with this A/N that took up like 145 words of this story now. Sayonara~! -Star**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 (Coming out in like a million years. Haha.)**

Natsu finished the explanation of his memories with a mournful yet nostalgic look in his eyes.

"Damian stole everything from me..." Natsu began before he lifted his head. "But I believe that if we work together, fight against him as one, we will be able to get rid of Damian and his guild. I want us to defeat them so that no one will ever have to suffer the way I did! Never!"

"And so we shall, Natsu," Makarov said with a proud smile before his face suddenly turned grim and serious. "Now that Natsu has shared his end of the information, I shall share what I know of Damian and his guild." Small whispers broke out in the crowd as everyone's suspicions continued growing and growing before silencing quickly as the 3rd Fairy Tail master raised his old, wrinkled hand and began to speak as well.

"You see, my children." Makarov began slowly. "Gildarts and I both knew Damian a long time ago. He was once... a member of Fairy Tail."

Eyes widened and gasps of surprise filled the guildhall before everyone began to argue loudly in what seemed to be infinite dissonance. However, the ruckus continued for only a few more seconds as Makarov continued his explanation as if no one had interrupted.

"Damian came to us after a great tragedy happened in his life," Makarov spoke. "He was only 13 years old, and he had already taken his first lives. Damian's parents were uncaring and abusive towards him, and one day he was pushed too far and lost control over his magic. He killed his parents and was kicked out of his village. He came to Fairy Tail soon after that."

Makarov turned his gaze towards Natsu, only to see the pink haired teen's face molded into an impassive expression. Everyone else's reactions were quite visible- gasps of shock, horrified expressions, and even tears building in narrowed eyes. '_This child.'_

"Yes," Gildarts announced steely, though you could hear the quiver in his voice. "17 years ago, an… _incident_ caused Damian to leave Fairy Tail and swear revenge against us." Gildarts looked to the floor as small tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "Damian and I were both on the same team, both S-Class wizards, both… best friends. He taught me how to have more restraint on my magic. Damian was part of our family, but that _incident_ drew him away from us forever."

Everybody silenced once again, taking in the newest addition of information with solemn expressions. Makarov stole another quick glance at Natsu only to see the boy staring at him intensely with the force of a million unspoken words dancing in his charcoal eyes. Finally, he spoke, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over the room.

"This incident you keep speaking of," he began slowly, suspicion lacing every word. "Would it be the death of Ania Kosoku?"

There was a pause before Makarov spoke in a woeful voice, "How do you know this?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed, eyes flashing into dragon-like slits, before they softened and he explained mournfully, "Many of Damian's memories were shared with me as an effect of him taking control of my mind. Ania Kosoku was his lover and once a barmaid at Fairy Tail. There was an unknown guild attack on Fairy Tail while Damian and Gildarts were away, and Ania was the only casualty. Damian blamed you and all of Fairy Tail for her death and left the guild." Natsu paused for a second as memories flashed in his mind.

_Whispers of pity and sympathy from the town's people. Running to the debris that was once the Fairy Tail guildhall. Seeing Ania's cold, lifeless body, her beautiful, light blond hair sprawled around her like a halo. Dropping the small, black ring box held in his hand. Immense power. Destruction, explosions, death. Anger, hate, sorrow._

"He was going to propose to her when he returned," Natsu spoke softly.

Makarov and Gildarts' eyes widened slightly before falling again and drooping into downcast expressions.

"So," a voice rang through the guild hall after a few more moments of the repetitive silence. Everyone turned to Gray. "This Damian wants revenge against Fairy Tail, right?" Gray looked pointedly at Natsu and after receiving a nod, continued. "Then we just have to take him down like all the rest. I know he was a part of Fairy Tail at some point, but if he is threatening his family, his nakama, like this, then he is no longer the same person he must've been when he was a part of Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail teaches you to take care of your nakama, to protect them, and that is exactly what we'll do!" Gray thrust his fist into the air as he finished the end of his speech, gaining cheers of agreement and happy tears from the entire guild.

Makarov smiled contently at his 'brats' as he felt the pride he held in his guild swell up in his chest. "You have a good guild, Gramps." a voice spoke through the ruckus. Makarov turned to Natsu to see the lad looking at him happily with a half smile adorning his face.

Makarov noted the sudden quietness of the guild as he replied wholeheartedly, "And you are welcome to join that family, Natsu Dragneel."

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. "R-Really?"he asked unsurely.

"Of course you can, idiot!" Gray interjected in an almost annoyed manner, though the grin on his face showed his sincerity.

"Yeah, Natsu!" Happy's squeaky voice exclaimed enthusiastically from the top of his head. "Join our guild! We can eat fish together and go on missions, and we can all be a family!"

Natsu's wide eyes stared around the room, taking in the warm and welcoming smiles of Lucy, Erza, Gray, and everyone else. Tears forming in his eyes, Natsu finally let them fall as a wide, genuine grin spread across his face.

"Thank you, everyone!" Natsu spoke loudly, his smile brightening the room and showing the happiness he felt to all the world.

* * *

Mirajane stepped forward, the guild mark stamp in her hands, as Freed dispelled his runes and allowed Natsu to leave the confined space. Natsu stood from the chair and stretched, his dark gray cloak ruffling as he moved. Mirajane smiled as she asked kindly, "So where would you like your guild mark, Natsu?"

Natsu glanced at Mirajane blankly as the question sank in before looking away and saying in an uncomfortable voice, "Well, first, we should probably get rid of my other guild mark."

Mirajane looked at Natsu confusedly. "Other guild mark?" she asked uncertainly.

"You mean the one from Damian's guild, correct?" Makarov spoke rhetorically.

Natsu looked at him solemnly before answering, "Yes. The guild mark for Mystic's Knife."

"Mystic's Knife?" Lucy questioned in a concerned manner. "Is that the name of Damian's guild?"

She received a nod to confirm her suspicions. "So," Erza spoke, her hand holding her chin in a thinking position. "That is the name of our enemy's guild. May we see the guild mark, Natsu?"

"Sure," Natsu spoke curtly as he untied the string of his cloak. The dark, heavy fabric slunk to the floor to reveal Natsu's real clothing.

Natsu adorned a light salmon dress shirt that fit comfortably on his lean form. Black dress pants, along with matching boots, covered his entire legs. On his hip, the sword belt for Aka Yami (his katana) lay loosely against his side. Finally, a scaly, white scarf, the only piece of clothing that actually seemed to suit Natsu, was tied tightly around his waist.

Natsu looked down at the now revealed outfit in disgust. He could distinctly hear a few snickers from the male population of the guild. He sent a dark glare in their general directions, and the closer guild members could've sworn they heard him mutter, "Stupid Lord… after I defeat you, I'll make sure to kick these idiots' butts." Frightened shudders ran down each of their spines.

Getting over his momentary rant of vengeance, Natsu quickly turned the left side of his body towards the crowd of guild members. Then, in one swift motion, Natsu pulled the long sleeve of his shirt all the way up to his shoulder. There, tattooed to the top of his left bicep, was the image of a red dagger with a chip in it being encircled by a thorny vine. The dark guild mark itself was outlined in a deep, menacing black, as if it were trapping the red dagger within a darkness too deep to escape.

"This," Natsu began seriously, "is the guild mark of Mystic's Knife. As Lord Damian called it, 'A knife that can kill even a fairy.'"

An uneasy silence fell over the guildhall, but it didn't last long before Gray yelled out in determination, "I'll take that as a challenge of Fairy Tail's strength! If this guy thinks he can underestimate us and get away with it then he's wrong! We'll show him the true power of Fairy Tail!"

Cheers and war cries echoed throughout the guildhall. Natsu visibly gaped at their confident display before turning to a cheerfully smiling Mira.

"Do they really believe they can defeat him on their own?" he asked disbelievingly.

Mira smiled even brighter as she replied, "We're all a family that will protect each other no matter what. We won't let this threat or any other destroy us. Now, are you ready to become a member?"

Natsu was about to answer when an arm roughly wrapped around the back of his neck as the intruder of his personal space draped their arm over his shoulder. Natsu jolted, surprised, as Gray smirked at him good-naturedly from beside him. "What are you waiting for, flame brain, an invitation?"

Natsu elbowed him in the ribs 'gently' to get the opposing ice mage off of himself before saying in a frustrated tone, "I have to get the Mystic's Knife guild mark off first. And who are you calling flame brain, you naked freak!?"

Completely ignoring the last comment, though storing it away in his mind for later, Gray questioned curiously, "How do you even get rid of a guild mark anyway?"

Natsu smirked. "Like this, idiot," the fire dragon slayer replied challengingly. A sudden burst of magic energy ceased all movement inside the guild as all of their attention turned to Natsu.

Said fire mage was focused on concentrating a large portion of his fiery magic power to just below his left shoulder. It only took a few seconds before the dark guild mark suddenly glowed a bright orange-red as the black surrounding the dagger-like tattoo disintegrated. Soon after, the red guild mark began to catch on fire, beginning at the bottom and slowly making it's way to the top until there was only tan skin where the tattoo once was. Natsu smirked, albeit with much less energy, at a dumbstruck Gray.

"That's how you get rid of a guild mark," Natsu spoke to the ice mage before muttering under his breath, "I hope you never have to do it."

A blur of yellow flashed before his vision before Natsu saw Lucy standing in front of him. "That was amazing, Natsu!" the blonde said enthusiastically.

Natsu grinned widely at her. "Thanks, Lucy!" he exclaimed happily.

She smiled at him softly as she said, "Now you can join our guild, our family."

Natsu returned her smile before turning to Mirajane, who was still holding the guild mark stamp. "Are you ready, Natsu?" she asked sweetly. Mirajane received a determined nod as her answer. The beautiful take over mage chuckled. "Where would you like it? Do you want it on your left arm again?" she questioned.

Natsu smiled at her nostalgically. "No. I want to go down a different path this time." _Images of the sign pointing between Hellebore, on the left, and Magnolia, on the right, flashed through the dragon slayer's mind._ "I want to protect my new family and defeat our enemy using the very arm that Fairy Tail's guild mark will reside on!"

Mirajane, getting the message hidden in his words, moved over to Natsu's right arm as the dragon slayer rolled up the sleeve of the salmon colored dress shirt. The white haired mage then placed the stamp lightly on the top of Natsu's right bicep, held it there for a few seconds, then pulled it away to reveal a dark red Fairy Tail guild mark.

"Now!" Makarov shouted as he held up a glass of beer (that seemingly appeared out of nowhere), "Let's celebrate the newest addition of our family with a party!"

'_These brats need a chance to get their minds off things before another battle ensues.' _Makarov thought to himself as he smiled slightly.

Loud cheers and yells of happiness filled the guildhall as Natsu flashed a bright smile and the celebration began.

* * *

Lucy giggled loudly, enjoying the grand party that the guild was throwing to welcome Natsu. They had already been celebrating for a few hours now, and it was already dark. Though the blonde could tell that the party was just starting.

'_Speaking of Natsu…'_ Lucy looked around quickly, but she couldn't spot the flash of pink hair or spurts of fire magic that would have surely given the dragon slayer away.

Spotting Gray reclining in a bar chair, Lucy jogged over to ice magic user. "Hey, Gray!" Lucy spoke cheerfully, though you could hear the undertone of worry.

"Oh, hey, Lucy!" Gray half smiled as he gave a halfhearted wave in her general direction. "What's up?"

"Well…" Lucy began, "Have you seen Natsu anywhere? I can't find him."

Gray's eyes narrowed slightly and, after sweeping over the rowdy guildhall with his own dark eyes, replied, "Nope. Haven't seen the flame brain. Let me know when you find him though. The whole guild threw this party for him, yet he's not here. How ungrateful."

Lucy smiled slightly at his antics. "Well, thanks anyways! I'll go ask someone else!"

For the next half an hour Lucy continued asking everyone she saw about the whereabouts of the newest member of their guild, only to turn up with nothing. "Where is he?" Lucy muttered tiredly to herself. That's when something struck her. Looking up the stairs to the infirmary, she noticed a slight opening in the door. Smiling at her discovery, the blonde haired celestial spirit mage dashed up the steps to the door. Slowly widening the crack in the door, she peaked inside to find exactly who she was looking for. Natsu.

He was sitting on his temporary bed (a new bed, his old one was destroyed by Gildarts), the same scaly, white scarf from earlier resting in his palms. She quickly noticed his sudden change in wardrobe. (Just copying off the fairy tail wiki.) Natsu now wore a sleeveless, black waistcoat with bright gold trim along the edges and an open front to show his bare chest. He had on white trousers that ended slightly below the knees with black ribbons tied around the bottom, open toed, black sandals, and a black wristband adorning his left wrist. Natsu continued to stare sadly down at the white, scale-like muffler clenched tightly in his hands. They stayed like this for a few more minutes.

Finally, unable to take the everlasting silence any longer, Lucy walked into the room and stood tentatively next to Natsu, who only continued to look at his scarf.

"Uh, h-hi, Natsu!" Lucy spoke nervously. Natsu looked up with a start, obviously surprised by Lucy's 'sudden' appearance. Seeing it was only the blonde, Natsu's surprised eyes softened considerably as he let a happy grin spread easily across his face.

"Aw, hey, Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed. Lucy smiled back and let her shoulders relax. His smile seemed to have that effect on people.

"What are you doing up here, Natsu?" Lucy questioned. "The party is downstairs. It's just for you."

Natsu's expression faltered before he looked back down at his scarf. "Well, I was just going to change into _my_ clothing that I stored away using some requip magic." Natsu explained.

"Wait, you use requip magic like Erza!?" Lucy almost yelled in shock.

Natsu looked back at her sheepishly before replying, "Just a little. I only have enough room to store an outfit or two and Aka Yami in there. Besides, it takes me forever to summon it!"

"Oh, I see." Lucy giggled.

"Anyways, you asked what I was doing up here…" Natsu spoke quietly. "I was just looking at my scarf is all."

"Your scarf? What's so special about it anyway?" Lucy asked, genuinely curious as she walked over to Natsu and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Well," Natsu began softly. "This scarf was given to me by my father, Igneel. It was the last thing he gave me before he left. It, along with my fire dragon slayer magic, are the only things I have left of my father."

Lucy looked at Natsu sadly as she hesitantly stretched her hand out and stroked the soft, scaly scarf.

"My-my mother died of an unknown sickness when I was younger," she spoke to Natsu solemnly. She didn't know why she was telling him this. It just felt right. "Afterwards, my father was always cruel to me. Eventually, I couldn't stand it anymore, and I ran away. I planned on joining a guild, and came across Gray and Happy while they were on a mission. They saved me from this guy called Bora the Prominent, and brought me here to Fairy Tail, my new family."

Lucy smiled sadly as she continued stroking Natsu's scarf until another hand rested on top of her own.

"Lucy," Natsu spoke gently. "You are a very strong person. You've gone through so many hardships in your life, yet you still look out for the well being of others. You smile and live your life to the fullest with your friends. Not many people can be as strong as you, Lucy!"

Lucy looked up at Natsu as tears began to fall from her large, dark brown eyes. Looking up at him tearfully, Lucy suddenly shot out into Natsu's chest, continuing to cry uncontrollably.

"Idiot," she muttered softly. "I was supposed to make you feel better. Not the other way around… Thank you."

Natsu looked down at the beautiful, blonde maiden in his arms as a small, genuine smile graced his features.

"No, thank _you_, Luce."

**Hey guys! Just posted another chapter! I know and apologize for not updating sooner. Go men. I'm really happy that I was able to make this my longest chapter yet! And just so you know, if it got a little comfusing, I changed the name of the town Natsu met Damian at from Dystopia to Hellebore. I hope this doesn't cause too much confusion. I also hope you enjoyed the little fluff moment with Natsu and Lucy. It's not going to be anything big, this isn't s romance story, just a cute, little unannounced shipping. So anyways, I'll do my best to post my next chapter ASAP, but I'm lazy and it might take awhile. Please review! It would mean the world to me! Sayonara~! -Star**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

Meanwhile, in another part of Fiore...

A figure shrouded in shadows sat still in a dark room just as the grandfather clock in the far corner struck twelve, once again chiming its song of midnight. The sun had set hours ago, the only remaining rebellion to the dark being the small sliver of the moon and a dim light emitted from a nearby light lacrima. The figure, clearly male even in the almost pitch black room, sat in a comfortable-looking, red chair in a seemingly nonchalant manner. He had his elbows propped up on a large, oak desk in front of him while his chin was supported by his intertwined hands. The man's only visible features in the dim light were his menacing, dark purple eyes, calculating every movement in the shadows.

A sudden jolt startled the room into a tense silence as the man's eyes widened slightly, and an extreme power rushed into him. The slight stiffening of the man's shoulders was the only sign he allowed to show that the grand energy coursing through the entire building had affected him at all.

Mere moments after the massive surge of power's appearance, a quick, raspy knock sounded on the door parallel to the man. Seconds later, without waiting for a response, an anxious young man barged into the room, panting hard. Light flooded into the office, chasing out all shadows except for the ones concealing the dark figure's face.

"Master!" the young man shouted in a surprisingly shrill voice. "Master, did you feel that magic pulsation? What was it? We felt the output centering around your office."

The dark figure stood from his seat and crossed the room so that he was only a few feet from the jittery man. The darkness no longer hid his face, and the man's piercing, violet eyes contrasted greatly with the soft smile adorning his handsome face. Putting his hands on the younger's shoulders, the figure leaned down so that he was eye level with the other.

"Do not worry, Liam," he spoke in a gentle but dangerous tone as he addressed the young man, "It was just a minor magic recoil. It is all going according to plan."

Liam's previously innocent green eyes narrowed in sadistic glee as a sinister smirk spread across his face.

"Aw, I see," he spoke in understanding. His eyes flashed maliciously as he turned around and headed back towards the doorway he had just previously ran through. Before leaving the room completely, Liam turned his head back towards the dark man, his smirk widening impossibly. "I'll make sure to inform the others of this _false_ revelation, Master Damian." With that, he walked out of the office, closing the door softly behind him and once again engulfing the room in darkness.

As the light was forced from the room and Damian's face was once again concealed by shadows, Damian's soft smile morphed into a menacing leer, and he took a seat in his chair once again. Taking the same position he had been in before the anticipated interruption, Damian's glowing, violet eyes continued scanning the room for the nothingness he knew was there.

"It is all going according to plan," Damian spoke arrogantly as he shifted his position and held his left hand before him. A soft, dark red glow appeared, and the image of a broken, red dagger hovered in his palm. "Make sure to play your part. I'm counting on you to initiate the next phase of the plan, _boy._"

* * *

Sunlight glistened through the infirmary window, small particles of dust sparkling in its luminescence and giving the room a quiet, gentle atmosphere. The rays of light beamed down on two still figures, one laying on an infirmary bed, his spiky, light salmon hair shining in the warm, morning light. The other resting her head on the side of the same bed while sitting in a plain, wooden chair, her blonde hair framing her beautiful face like golden strands of silken thread. They held each other's hands softly in their oblivious slumber.

Slowly, Lucy's eyes fluttered open as she blinked blearily in the new light until her eyesight finally succeeded in focusing. She scanned her surroundings, identifying her location as the infirmary as her tired mind began to process her latest memories. Her chocolate brown eyes finally rested on a certain snoozing, pink haired fire mage. Looking at their intertwined hands with a tired, non-processing expression, Lucy finally snapped out of her reverie, and her face quickly ignited in a deep red blush.

Pulling her hand away quickly, the celestial spirit mage awakened the dragon slayer with a start. Natsu jerked up and scanned his surroundings swiftly before relaxing his tensed shoulders when he realized there was no immediate danger within the room.

Landing his curious but cautious gaze on Lucy, Natsu's face was immediately taken over by a wide, hesitant grin as he tried to relieve Lucy of the now worried expression she was adorning.

"Good morning, Luce," Natsu spoke sheepishly.

Lucy allowed a fond half-smile to spread across her face as she replied, "Good morning, Natsu. Did you sleep well?"

Natsu blinked slightly at the question. "Well," the fire mage began as he tapped his chin thoughtfully, "I had this strange dream. It was dark everywhere, but I didn't feel any fear or negativity towards it. Then, a light suddenly appeared in the distance. I walked towards it for what seemed like _forever_ until I finally reached it. It turned out to be this small, bright scarlet fire burning from nothing. I reached out to touch it, but then the flames turned a dark black-purple color, and it burned my hand. I took a step away from the flames, and then, all of a sudden, they flared up as if they were trying to consume me. That's when you woke me up. It was a really weird dream, huh."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in concern at learning this new predicament.

"Are you sure you're alright, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"Of course, Lucy. Why?" Natsu questioned confusedly.

Lucy once again looked at Natsu with worry, but before she could inquire any further, the door slammed open as Gray, Erza, and Happy strode into the room.

"Time to get up love birds!" Gray announced in a teasing tone, getting the desired reaction from the two mages as they both blushed scarlet, Lucy much worse off than Natsu.

"We are not in love!" she shrieked defensively.

"Sure," Gray said, unconvinced.

Happy flew over to Natsu and landed on the fluffy, pink spikes of hair. Smiling down at the dragon slayer mischieviously, the cat drawled, "She _likes _you~"

Natsu blushed deeper as he furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to retort the comment (AKA making the situation worse for himself) when Erza spoke.

"_Anyway_," Erza interrupted sternly, successfully turning all attention towards herself. "We came to wake you two. It is already 10 o'clock, and there is much work to be done in order to prepare for the upcoming journey."

"Journey?" Lucy asked in confusion. "What journey? Is there a mission we're going on?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you guys didn't hear Master's announcement last night." Gray ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "The old man decided that instead of waiting for an attack from Mystic's Knife, we'll be the first to attack and take out the dark guild. We shouldn't get in too much trouble with the Magic Council since they aren't actually an official guild. Now that you're part of the Fairy Tail family, flamebrain, we have to make sure you're protected. And if that means fighting, so be it." Gray shrugged. "At least that's what Gramps said."

Erza glared halfheartedly at the ice mage before returning her attention to Natsu and Lucy.

"Come," she practically commanded, "We'll be leaving at noon, so you don't have much time to get ready."

Scrambling from her chair, Lucy quickly ran out of the infirmary, followed closely after by Gray and Erza, who shut the door behind them.

Natsu and Happy both stared blankly at the door as quiet overcame the room. Looking at each other, the two sat in an awkward silence, not quite sure what to do now that the others had left.

"Wanna play rock-paper-scissors?"

"Sure."

* * *

2 hours later, at the time that the journey begins...

"I assume everyone is ready?" Makarov spoke to the gathered and fully equipped members of Fairy Tail.

Shouts of "Yeah!" and "Let's kick butt!" rang through the guild hall as everyone gave their enthusiastic and very loud affirmative.

Makarov nodded, "Now, as Natsu said before, the dark guild, Mystic's Knife, is located in the town known as Hellebore, which is a day or two's walk from Magnolia. We will be traveling on foot to our destination as not to alert the dark guild of our attack. As you also know, the master of Mystic's Knife was once a very powerful member of Fairy Tail, so we must be aware of how strong this guild may be. Do not underestimate them.

"That being said, I wish for Macao, Wakaba, Max, and Reedus to stay here and protect the guild." The master of Fairy Tail earned a couple of nods, some more reluctant or eager than others, in return. "Good. Now, I expect all of you to take safety precautions and protect your nakama while on this journey. We will not lose one of our own to this dark guild! Is that clear?"

"Yes, Master!" everyone shouted.

"All right then, time to move out!" Makarov yelled. The members of Fairy Tail walked out of their guild hall with pride, each one preparing themselves for the upcoming guild vs. dark guild war. They would not lose any of their family, neither any old nor new members.

* * *

It was now dusk. The bright pink, orange, and yellow sunset faded as the night's purples, blues, and blacks took over the sky, a faint hue of pink still highlighting the vaguely visible clouds. In the dark of the forest canopy, the outlines of many human-shaped silhouettes could be seen trudging sluggishly towards a large, slightly covered glade.

As they all reached the decided location, each person slumped against a tree or even just plopped down onto the ground in exhaustion. Within the mass of people, shouted commands could be heard, along with many muttered complaints before each of the figures stood and went to carry out their given tasks.

Natsu, to say the least, was tired. Their journey to Hellebore had only just started, and though they had made surprising progress and were very nearly halfway to the town, the Fairy Tail group had traveled nonstop for seven hours. The fire mage could tell that he wasn't the only one who was exhausted, but he was pretty sure that he was the only one traveling with a broken ankle that was still healing. During the hours of travel the once forgotten pain from the injured joint had slowly begun to feel sore again, until finally it throbbed painfully up his leg, as it did now.

Natsu had been given the task of setting up tents with the ice stripper, so he didn't have to do anything too strenuous. But with each movement of his leg, a painful jolt would run through his body, making even setting up tents an extremely excruciating task.

Natsu let out a pained breath as a particularly hard rock found its way into his foot's path.

"Are you all right, man?" Gray asked, his eyebrows furrowed in slight worry.

"Yeah," Natsu replied curtly.

Gray didn't look convinced. "You sure? It was a pretty long walk. I'm sure your legs are sore."

Natsu gave him a faltering smile as he tried to keep his legs from giving out on him. "It's nothing I can't handle," the dragon slayer reassured. "My ankle's just a little sore is all."

Realization dawned on Gray's face as the two finished putting up their final tent. "Your ankle hasn't completely healed yet." It wasn't a question.

"Well…" Natsu trailed off and gave him a sheepish smile.

The ice mage heaved a sigh before forcefully grabbing Natsu's arm and dragging him away from the tent.

"H-Hey! What the hell?!" Natsu yelped, startled.

Gray turned to him with a look of irritation plastered on his face. "Idiot, I'm taking you to Wendy. She'll make sure you don't collapse from exhaustion and pain."

"Gray, I'm all right, really!" Natsu protested with an equally vexed look marring his features.

The ice mage stared intensely at the fire dragon slayer before turning away and sighing in exasperation. Then, tightening his hold on Natsu's arm, Gray pulled the fire mage over to the campfire the other guild members were gathered around.

"Flamebrain," his insult was spoken with a calm, caring undertone. "If you're not going to take care of yourself, we're going to have to do it for you. You can't do everything on your own; you can rely on us too. If you're injured you'll put the whole guild in danger. I won't let my nakama be endangered. That includes you, idiot."

Natsu froze in shock before resignedly allowing Gray to drag him over to the other members. A small smile spread across his face. '_Is this warmth in my chest the same one I felt with you, Igneel? Is this what it's like to have a family?'_

* * *

Natsu sighed in satisfaction as he finished the dinner given to him. He felt almost fully restored after the long day he'd had thanks to Wendy's sky dragon healing magic that restored his energy and further healed and stopped the pain coming from his ankle. If you added in the tasty meal and the new warm feeling emanating from within his chest, you could say that this was one of the happiest moments Natsu had experienced in a long time.

A sudden, low pulse shot through his head, causing the fire mage to shoot his hand to his head with widened eyes. As soon as the feeling had come, though, it disappeared, but Natsu could still feel the small pressure in the back of his mind.

"Natsu-san," Wendy spoke worriedly, "Are you all right?" All of the attention of their small group- Lucy, Gray, Erza, Happy, Carla, and Wendy- turned to Natsu.

"Haha," Natsu laughed in embarrassment and nervousness, "I'm fine, guys. Don't worry. I just thought I felt a mosquito on my head. I think I missed it though." He could feel the pressure in the back of his head grow a little.

Everyone seemed to buy the small lie as the worried expressions melted from their faces.

"Oh, by the way, Natsu," Erza spoke, gaining the pink haired teen's attention, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Go ahead, Erza," Natsu said, curious to hear what the requip mage wished to know.

Erza nodded before continuing to say, "I was wondering if you could give us more information on Mystic's Knife. Particularly its guild master, Damian Mente, and the other members."

"Sure," Natsu complied. "Well, I can't tell you all that much more than you already know because of all of the gaps in my memory, but I can tell you a few things. As you know, Damian was once a part of Fairy Tail, an S-Class mage teamed up with Gildarts. He uses magic that can read others' minds, telepathy, and other varying mind tricks, including controlling others' minds. More recently, Damian has been using his ability to make himself appear younger, probably around his early 20's, but do not underestimate him. Damian is just as strong, maybe even stronger than Gildarts."

Shocked looks spread across Lucy's and Wendy's faces while Erza and Gray merely stared at Natsu, waiting for him to continue. A soft pulse shot through his mind again before he continued.

"There are a few other strong members in Mystic's Knife that I remember a little. The others aren't as important or strong as these 4 main mages, merely an average sized guild full of wizards with slightly more than amateur magic. But Damian did make sure he was prepared in his battle against Fairy Tail. He made sure that every member of his guild used teamwork and battled alongside others who could cover for their weaknesses. These bonds aren't very strong though. If we all work together, we can defeat them, teamwork vs. stronger teamwork."

Natsu winced at a particularly strong pulse through his mind. What was going on with him?

"The first, Ulric, uses take over magic to give him the features and abilities of a wolf. He has long silver hair and black eyes but when he uses his magic he grows dark grey wolf ears and a tail, claws, and fangs. His specialty is the hypersonic howls he can create.

"The second is Mauni, the only girl of the 4. She has short orange hair with a single black and white streaked bang and red eyes. Her magical ability is to create tendrils from anything dark ranging from black clothing to shadows. She usually goes for a more quick, silent attack by puncturing or capturing her enemy with her tendrils, but if pushed to her limit, she can use her magic to turn the darkness into a weapon like a spear or sword.

"The final and probably most powerful between the other two is Liam. He can use plant magic though he specializes in poisonous, harmless looking flowers and such. He likes to trick his enemies into a false state of security by making his magic and himself look harmless. Liam has big, green eyes and light, gingery brown hair. He is probably the most loyal to Damian."

Everyone looked thoughtful for a moment as Natsu finished his explanation. These mages sounded dangerous.

"Wait a minute," Gray interjected suddenly, "You said there were 4 of these guys, so who's the 4th?"

"Yeah, Gray's right. Who _is_ the 4th mage, Natsu?" Lucy questioned as she realized the lack of a 4th mage's explanation as well.

Natsu grimaced as another pulse of pain rang through his skull. "Well that's the thing," he spoke as he lowered his head so that his pink hair hung down and shadowed his eyes. Natsu looked up at them seriously. "I am the 4th mage." Another painful pulse shot through his head. The fire mage could feel a headache forming.

Everyone was shocked but also looked like they had been expecting this to be the truth the entire time. "So you're one of the most powerful in that dark guild, huh," Gray broke the silence. "Not too surprising since you were able to go toe-to-toe with Master Makarov for so long. It would figure you weren't just some other member of that guild."

"But he's not a member anymore, remember Gray?" Lucy said almost defensively.

"Yeah, of course I know that," Gray responded.

"Well, then don't act like he had a choice in being a part of that dark guild!" Lucy exclaimed angrily. She was now pointing an accusing finger onto Gray's chest.

"Alright," Gray held up his hands in surrender as he leaned away from her index finger. "Geez, no need to get all defensive."

Natsu merely watched the whole exchange in slight amusement even though he couldn't fully enjoy it because of the painful headache now throbbing through his mind. He didn't understand what was going on. Wendy had just healed him, so why…? '_Could it be…?'_ No, that wasn't possible. But if it was… '_Maybe I should be alone for a little until the headache goes away.'_

When Natsu stood up, the sudden movement caught everyone's eye and they all turned to him again, their bickering ceasing.

"Where are you going, Natsu-san?" Wendy questioned confusedly.

"Just out for a walk," Natsu smiled cheerfully. "I need to clear my head."

With that, the fire mage walked away from the group and towards the more tree infested area of the woods. He could vaguely hear Lucy reprimanding Gray with what sounded like "Now see what you've done?" as he entered the forest.

Walking for a good five minutes before stopping, Natsu looked back at the faint light of Fairy Tail's campsite before turning away and pulling off his scarf. Being a fire mage, the chilly night air didn't really affect him, but his neck still missed the warmth and comfort his scarf brought him.

Natsu stood there for awhile, just staring at his scarf and waiting for his throbbing headache to recede. Concentrating on his scarf and memories from both long and not so long ago, it was no wonder he didn't feel their presence until they announced their location to him.

"Is it hard for you?" a strong, feminine voice asked in the darkness.

Natsu turned around, fire igniting around his fist, to find that Erza had followed him into the forest.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu questioned curiously, ignoring her question for the moment.

"I came to make sure you were alright," Erza responded calmly. "You seem regretful about something; I just can't tell what. There's something deep within you that you are hiding."

"Yeah, well, lacking control of your body for half of your life will do that to you," Natsu spoke sadly. "I just wish to live my life here, with all of Fairy Tail. I wish to form new bonds."

Erza's expression softened slightly, though she still remained stoic. "So is it hard for you then? Going against your old guild? Did you have any fond memories there?"

Natsu sighed. "I feel something within me," he said softly. "It's not quite sadness or regret over leaving Mystic's Knife. It's more like I'm finally seeing for the first time in so long without my vision being obscured. I see all of Mystic's Knife's members for who they really are. They are all dark on the inside, with a sadness and hate towards the world created from loss. They all joined Mystic's Knife to seek vengeance against all those who live without suffering. I guess I just feel betrayed by their intentions of using me to achieve their selfish and foolish ideals. Yet I can't bring myself to fully hate any of them because I know why they've done all of it. I just wish to stop Damian and his guild from causing others anymore pain."

Erza peered at Natsu sadly. "All of us in Fairy Tail have suffered one way or another," she said in a gentle tone. "We have all suffered the hardships of life even when many of us are still so young. Fairy Tail is a shelter for those who need a family. It has been so for Gray after the loss of his parents and then his teacher. It has been so for Lucy as she sought the comfort of a true family. It has also been so for me, after I escaped from my prison." Erza allowed a small, sorrowful smile to fall upon her face. "But we get through it because we are Fairy Tail. One big, happy family."

Natsu stared at Erza for a moment before closing his eyes and speaking, "I understand that now. Everyone has suffered; everyone has fallen down in life. But it takes a truly strong person to stand back up and keep moving forward. That's why Fairy Tail is full of such powerful mages."

Erza nodded before turning around, satisfied that the young fire mage would be alright. Looking over her shoulder she said caringly, "Just don't forget. You are also a part of this family, Natsu." With that, Erza walked back to the campsite to leave the fire mage to his thoughts.

When Erza's fading form was out of sight, Natsu's features hardened as he winced at his still throbbing headache.

"I know you're there, Liam, Ulric, Mauni," Natsu spoke softly, almost in a whisper. Three shadows descended to the ground before the forms of 3 of the most powerful guild members of Mystic's Knife stood proudly in front of Natsu.

"Hello, Natsu," Liam spoke cheerfully as he tried to lighten the mood. He only succeeded in thickening the tension.

"Will you come back willingly or will we have to take you by force?" Mauni asked bluntly.

"Straightforward and to the point as always, Mauni," Natsu grinned, earning a glare from the red eyed girl. Natsu appeared thoughtful for a moment. "You know though, I really don't feel like going with you either way."

Ulric sighed irritably. "It's always the hard way with you, isn't it?" the silver haired man grumbled.

Natsu merely answered with a cheerful, "Yeah."

"You know it's pointless fighting us in your weakened state, Natsu," Liam spoke sinisterly, completely dropping his innocent facade.

"I can still try!" Natsu grinned before charging at the 3. '_I'm all fired up!'_

* * *

As Erza slowly walked back to the campsite, she could see the silhouettes of her fellow Fairy Tail members as they talked excitedly and planned for the upcoming battle. Just as she was about to pick up her pace to reach the glade faster, a large explosion of flames alerted her to a battle in the direction she had just come from.

"Natsu," Erza spoke breathlessly before she turned and ran, summoning her Flight Armor to arrive at the battle scene quicker.

Arriving at the area within a minute, Erza could see scorch marks, upturned earth, dying plants, and fallen trees scattered throughout the area. Spotting something in the middle of the chaos, Erza dashed over to the pure white object lying on the ground. Picking it up, Erza realized what the object was. A white, scaly scarf. It was Natsu's.

Lucy had told her how much this scarf meant to Natsu earlier that day. That would mean if he had left his scarf behind, Natsu didn't go willingly.

Looking back at the spot where she had picked up the muffler, Erza's eyes widened in horror. "No," she whispered.

Imbedded into the ground, in sharp, scratchy handwriting was the message, _We Have Taken Back What Is Ours._

**A/N: I am so tired. I finished this chapter today at like 5 AM so I probably won't actually post this till noon (probably a bad estimation). Anyways, my sleep isn't what's important right now. I am so, very sorry about going on my unannounced 3 month HIATUS. I truly didn't mean for it to take this long, and I really don't have any excuses, but I do promise that I will finish this story even if it takes me forever (which I hope it doesn't for my readers and my own sake). For all of you who have reviewed, favorited, or followed 'Saving a Dragon's Heart' I owe you an extra big apology. Hopefully this super long chapter makes up for it. Seriously, this thing is double my usual chapter length. **

**Okay, well, since this is going to be a long author's note anyway, I'm going to explain some things. First of all, if you didn't already realize, I made a bunch of weird stuff happen to Natsu in this chapter, with the dream, his broken ankle, and headache. The dream and headache I'll leave for you to interpret, but the broken ankle was meant to help with the bonding of Gray and Natsu. And Erza following Natsu into the forest was also meant to help their bond (No, this is Not Natsu x Gray or Natsu x Erza). Also, the OC's (Liam, Ulric, Mauni) aren't supposed to be too important. Just to help the story along and make the upcoming battle more interesting. Finally, I'm posting this without my editor looking over it, so I'll post the beta'd version later. Let's just hope there aren't too many mistakes.**

**Alright, well, if you read this far into my author's note, I want to thank you for reading my story and please review, favorite, or follow my fanfiction. I'd really appreciate it. Also, one last thing, I won't be having a certain time when I update. I'll just do it when I can. Sorry, my inspiration just doesn't cooperate with me sometimes. Okay, I'm going to go now. Thank you. Sayonara~! -Star**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Natsu's POV

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Splat!_

I blinked blearily as I awoke to a sudden wetness dripping down my face. A dull pain throbbed in the back of my head, but I chose to ignore it for now in favor of observing my current, dark surroundings. A feeling of dread began to dwell within me as I took in the all too familiar stone brick walls and the shallow puddles tainted with a small amount of a suspicious, red liquid. My eyes finally rested on a large, iron-barred door where the faintest of lights glowed dimly from an unseen source.

Panicked, I tried to lunge forward and out of the cell only to find each of my limbs restrained by heavy metal clasps chained to the rough wall behind me. Heaving a resigned sigh, I slouch back against the grey cinder block tiredly.

'_I have to think of a way out of here and soon,'_ I thought. But there was no escape. I already knew that. No point in hoping. Unless…

A sudden _creak_ shook me from my thoughts. My head shot up with a tense alertness, already knowing full well who it would be. Damian stood before me, looking the part of a king just as much as he did all those years ago, only younger with the new use of his magic. I glared at him hatefully as the familiar tightening of my throat told me my ability to speak was stolen once again.

"Hello, my dear boy," Damian spoke eloquently. "Welcome home."

I would have growled if my throat, or more like Damian, would've allowed the feral sound to escape me. Alas, I could merely continue to glare at my master like some cowering, cornered animal.

"Such a dirty look," Damian spoke as he leaned forward mockingly. "Is that any way to treat your master, Natsu?"

I felt my throat loosen as a feeling of dread ran through me once again. He spoke my name. Damian was dead serious. I swallow down the gulp that had almost emerged from me and spit the flaming retort from my mouth. "You're no longer my master! I am a part of Fairy Tail now!"

Damian glances from my bare left bicep to my newly stamped right one. "So it seems," he speaks in a slightly dejected voice, almost like he truly cared about my 'abandoning' of his side. A smirk spreads across his face. "Unfortunately for both you and Fairy Tail, it will be one of the last mistakes that guild ever makes to bring you into their so called family."

My eyes widen in horrified realization at the meaning behind his words. "How dare you?!" The screeching, angered yell is ripped from my throat before I even realize. "Why are you doing this? What kind of sick joke is this to you? You're wrong about that guild! They aren't as you believe! It wasn't their fault she's dead!"

A stinging pain swells in my cheek as Damian backhands me, and I slump against the stone floor. I look back up into Damian's flaring violet eyes defiantly. "Never speak of her in such a way again, boy. You _will_ regret it!" Damian stares down at me coldly before closing his eyes and taking in a deep, calming breath. A smirk, though slightly wavering, resurfaces onto his face, and I can still see the faint flash of remaining anger in his eyes as they look down on me once again.

"No matter what you try to do, boy, it won't matter." He speaks with an air of finality. "Either way, it will bring an end to Fairy Tail. You cannot fight it. So just enjoy the destruction to come."

I feel my throat constrict again as Damian takes another step forward and slowly stretches out his arm. Hovering right over my forehead, Damian's extended index finger begins to glow with a hue of dark red as the shattered fragments of a dagger swirl around his hand. In an instant the shards are no longer surrounding Damian but me, and I can only sit motionlessly as I feel my will and resistance drain away. Finally, in one last flash of red, I slump forward as my eyes dull.

In my blurry vision and faltering mind, I am barely aware of Damian walking back towards the cell door and a stream of light flooding through a newly opened doorway I hadn't seen before. Through the doorway walks a masculine figure that I can scarcely make out as Ulric. As I see Damian say something to the silver-haired take-over mage, something I no longer have the ability to hear, my vision continues to cloud, like a dark fog is surrounding me. The last thing I see before my sight slips away is Ulric leaning down before me with a look I can't comprehend marring his face as he whispers something. I barely make out his words, but my unfocused mind can't understand them. Nothing makes sense to me right now. My tired consciousness leaves me.

Finally, my mind and body slip into darkness. And I no longer worry about what the shadows waiting there will do to me.

* * *

Gray's POV

We've been running all night, and I can tell that I'm not the only one who's exhausted. Ever since Erza returned to our camp several hours ago, we've been moving as fast as we can to reach Hellebore, home of Damian's dark guild, Mystic's Knife.

_Flashback_

'Would Lucy just _shut up_?'

_I continue to glare at the mentioned blonde with cold eyes as she rambles on about Natsu. Her little crush on him was so obvious that even Gajeel noticed. And that was something. She clearly liked him, especially if she would defend him so strongly after only just meeting him a few days ago. _

_Well, if Lucy wanted to be with Natsu, I don't exactly have any objections against it. Honestly, I just hope she doesn't get hurt in the process. Natsu is a nice guy, careless and stupid with no sense of self preservation whatsoever, but loyal and compassionate nonetheless. Still, something seems off about him, but no matter how much this foreboding feeling eats away at me, I don't think I can push myself to hate him._

" _-you can at least try to be subtle about something for once you know!" Lucy yelled at me. Woah, how long have I been zoning out? Oh well, it doesn't really matter. I release a sigh in exasperation. Might as well try to stop her ranting._

"_You mean as subtle as you are about your crush on Flamebrain?" I retort lazily.  
A bored expression masking my amusement, I watch as Lucy's face flushes with a deep red blush._

"_W-What are you t-talking about!?" Lucy shrieked indignantly. "I am not in love with Natsu!"_

'Funny, she never mentioned anything against the crush.' _I smirk in enjoyment of her embarrassment and clearly false denial._

"_If you say-" I begin to respond before a sudden, booming explosion interrupts me, shaking and echoing from the distance. In the exact direction that Erza and Natsu had just headed off in!_

_Speeding off towards the distant explosion's flaming aftereffect, I can hear multiple footsteps falling behind me. After a few minutes of running - it hadn't seemed so far away before - I catch a glimpse of Erza's scarlet red hair and cheetah-printed armor._

_She stiffly stands alone , a white object held in her hands, her back facing us. By the tilt of her head, I can see that she's looking down at the ground in front of her, but what had captivated her attention is still unknown to me. Running the last few hundred yards at full speed, I finally reach Erza's side._

_I rest a hand on her shoulder, quickly breaking her out of her reverie and causing her full attention to snap to me. Seeing the shocked and concerned look in her eyes, I can immediately tell that something is wrong. That's when it hits me. _

"_Where's Natsu?!" I ask urgently. A multitude of questions flow through my mind, most of them surprising even myself. _'Is he alright? Did something happen to him? Has he betrayed us? Will he be alright?'

_Erza's eyes gleam brighter with intensified emotions, and I see her armoured grip tighten around the long, white object hanging in her left hand. My eyes widen._

"_Wait, that's…!" Erza holds up her right hand, effectively silencing me. She then gestures down to the ground, where her gaze was moments ago. I look down and my eyes fall upon the 7 words etched deeply into the upturned earth in rough, scratchy letters. _'We Have Taken Back What Is Ours.' _My blood boils. What is theirs'?!_

"_We don't have time for this; we have to go!" Erza exclaims firmly. I then realize thate it's fury that's also flickering within her midnight brown eyes. The rest of our group who had followed me had finally arrived, and upon hearing our superior mage's words and seeing the scale-patterned scarf within her grasp, their gazes immediately turned fearful._

"_No." I faintly hear Lucy whisper before a swift wind passes by us all, strong enough to ruffle our hair. Shocked, I turn towards where Erza once stood, already knowing she wasn't there anymore._

"_Come on!" I shout towards Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla as I race after our red-haired friend._

_When we arrive at the campsite, Erza is already frantically reporting the situation to Master. Reaching their sides, I hear the last few words of Erza's explanation before Master Makarov turns away from us and towards our fellow guild was a large crowd gathering near us, having seen one of the strongest - not to mention scariest - mages in our guild dash into our makeshift camp adorning her Flight Armor. It was clear to them that something serious had happened. _

_"Everyone!" Master's voice boomed through the clearing, catching all of the guild's attention. "A problem has arisen! Moments ago, Natsu was captured by members of Mystic's Knife! Our battle with them can no longer be postponed! While the rest of our guild prepares, I will be sending a special unit, consisting of Erza, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, and Happy, ahead to sneak into Hellebore and save Natsu! We will follow them and commence a full on attack against the dark guild! They have taken one of our own, and they will regret it!"_

_Cheers erupted through the clearing. Fairy Tail was fully ready for the guild war. Master Makarov turns back around to face our group, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla having arrived during the speech, a stern but hopeful expression crossing his face. "Bring our family back." Inclining my head to him, I look back up with an equally unwavering look. _

_Having received our orders, Erza glances back at our group, The Natsu Rescue Team, her determination shining within her dark eyes. "Let's go."_

'We would do this. Not just for the guild but also... for Natsu.'

_Flashback end_

Snapping out of my brief flashback, I look forward again. The afternoon sun's soft rays shine down through the thick, deep green leaves of the trees. Around us, I can see the once vibrant, overgrowing plants become more subdued as we draw near to the end of the forest. Finally, with one last bound, our group breaches the trees, only to find ourselves on the large ledge of a cliff. Off to our right, a small, rocky path leads down the side of the crag.

Looking out beyond the edge, a mediocre-sized town comes into view. The place emits a cheery atmosphere, townspeople shuffling through the streets placidly as shop owners advertise their merchandise merrily in the mild, afternoon heat. Everyone just seemed so happy. As if nothing in the world could go wrong.

It's peaceful. A little too peaceful. The perfect, unsuspecting place to hide a dark guild hall. Within the shadows of a town where the light has made it near impossible to find the darkness at all. '_Tricky, Damian. This plan of yours… it's far more thought out than we could've ever dreamed of.'_

"So this is Hellebore," I hear Lucy whisper under her breath. "Wouldn't have expected it to look so… normal."

"Yeah," I respond, my cobalt eyes still roaming over the town before I turn them to stare straight into Lucy's warm, chocolate brown ones. "But that just makes it the perfect place to hide, doesn't it?"

Glancing at Erza seriously, another question, this one not rhetorical, leaves my mouth, "Do you think the people who live here are allied with Mystic's Knife?"

The knight's eyes continue to study the place below us, particularly the people walking through its streets. "No," she answers simply. "I don't believe they are, but we must still keep our guard up. We don't know whether there are members of Mystic's Knife spying on the town or not."

"Yeah." I nod in agreement. "Then what should we do? We need to save Natsu as soon as we can." '_We don't know what horrible things they're doing to him.'_ I add silently.

"I believe it would be best if we continued into the town," Erza responds evenly. "This isn't Magnolia. Currently, we are unfamiliar with our surroundings and are at a disadvantage. We need information and quickly. That can be obtained through the townspeople.

"It won't be easy to save Natsu, especially not in broad daylight. After we have obtained enough information to figure out where Mystic's Knife's guildhall is, we will wait until night to sneak in. Are we clear?"

A retort against waiting until nightfall is about to leave my mouth before it dies on my lips. I knew it was the best course of action, even if I hated it.

"What if we don't figure out where their guildhall is?" Wendy asks curiously.

"We have to," Lucy answers her, Happy giving an "Aye, sir!" as well.

A reassuring smile crosses my face. Placing a hand on Wendy's head and ruffling her dark blue hair, I put in my own encouragement. "We'll find him."

Feeling movement beside me, I look up to see Erza walking towards the cliff's edge. Smile fading, a serious expression covers my face instead. I nod to the others and follow our leader down the trail leading to Hellebore.

* * *

Plopping down onto the off-white comforter of the bed, I relax against the soft, cloud-like blankets beneath me. We had rented a hotel room for the night. Just a small one, with only one bed and very few other things besides the basic human necessities. It may have seemed suspicious for 4 people, plus 2 cats, to pay for only one, compact room, but it wouldn't matter since we'd be heading out tonight for Mystic's Knife's headquarters.

"So, what was it that the old woman from the bakery told you again, Erza?" I ask, wanting to refresh my memory. Said redhead glanced in my direction from the corner of her dark eyes.

"She informed me of the abandoned ruins of a once grand castle that stands just on the outskirts of Hellebore," Erza repeats from the earlier findings of her investigation. "Apparently, it's still in good shape after all of these years."

"It's the ideal place for Mystic's Knife's guildhall to be," Carla added. "No one has gone near the castle for years. There would be no need to worry about anyone stumbling upon their hideout by accident."

"I see," I mumble tiredly before sitting up and standing quickly. "Then we'd better move out, right? It _is_ dark out already." As if to prove me right, everyone else's heads turn to the window on the far wall, revealing the pitch black sky outside, stars sprinkled across it like dots of white paint on a black canvas.

"Yeah," Lucy agrees. "You're right, Gray." Following my example, she also stands from her seat, grabbing her belt and strapping it around her waist. Soon, everyone else is ready to go and heading out the door.

Scanning the room one more time, I head towards the door, intent on being the first one to leave, when a shout halts me a foot from the door.

"Gray, your clothes!"

Looking down, I notice that I am once again stripped down to my boxers. "Dang it! Not again!" I yell out, searching frantically around the room for my shirt and pants.

Well, this rescue mission was off to a great start.

**A/N: And that wraps up this chapter! So guys, I know I deserve to be tied to a wooden pole and burned to death by an angry mob for this 4 month Hiatus, and trust me, I'm disappointed in myself as well. But if this story is to be a good one, I need to be inspired to write. That happens when it happens. Unfortunately, I'm not like those guys who update every week or even every day. This summer has been busy. So, all I really wanted to say for this is that 1. My editor did look at this chapter and the last, so I fixed all of that. 2. I'm also working on a rewrite right now. So all of my earlier chapters that aren't very good, will be revised. 3. I'm really, really sorry for not updating for so long. I suck. And finally, I hope you liked this chapter. I thought the different point of views would be cool, especially how most of the chapter was from Gray's perspective. If you'd give me suggestions like who's point of view you'd like to read from or other things, I'd really appreciate your opinion(s). So, I'm going to leave now and say that I **_**will not**_ **abandon this follow, favorite, and/or review if you believe my story is worthy. Thank you, and Sayonara~! -Star**


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